KETCHUM — A preliminary investigation by the Grand River Dam Authority police indicates alcohol and excessive speed contributed to the death of a Grove woman and her friend in a Grand Lake boating accident.

Rachel Nicole Swetnam and William ?Trey? Lewis Varner III

Rachel Nicole Swetnam, 21, of Grove, and William “Trey” Lewis Varner III, 21, of Texarkana, Ark., died when the boat in which they were passengers hit a docked houseboat in the Duck Creek arm of Grand Lake about 5:30 p.m. Tuesday.

Grand River Dam Authority spokesman Justin Alberty said Swetnam and Varner were seated in the front of the boat when it rammed into the unoccupied 100-foot-long houseboat.

John Deselms, of Tulsa, was driving the boat, the police report states.

Other passengers were Taylor Perry, of Springdale, Ark.; Eugene DeVerges and Bryce Banham, both of Tulsa; Taylor Reynolds, of Plano, Texas; and Chad Scott, of Perry.

Deselms and Perry were taken to Craig General Hospital in Vinita for treatment, Alberty said.

According to their Facebook pages, Swetnam was a senior and Varner was a junior at the University of Arkansas.

“We are keeping the families and friends of these students in our hearts during this difficult time, and express our deepest condolences,” said Danny Pugh, University of Arkansas dean of students.

They will be greatly missed, he said.

In a statement, Varner's family said he was “loved by all who knew him. His beautiful, caring soul made him a selfless and devoted friend, as well as a devoted son and grandson. He and Rachel Swetnam were as close as brother and sister, and their loss is immeasurable.”

Swetnam was Miss Teen Oklahoma 2010 with the National American Miss pageant.